A novel with an attitude, or that’s how it comes across to most readers. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is widely recognised as a novel that wants to pick apart the superficiality of twentieth century society, but I feel that undermines its appeal.
Societal critique is a common facet of many novels, so that’s nothing special. What is special is Salinger’s narrator, Holden Caulfield — a disinterested, disillusioned, and isolated sixteen-year-old boy that has just been expelled from his prep school due to a lack of academic performance. It sounds unoriginal, but few novels explore the sense of apathy of a maturing male/young adult.
Holden, like all good narrators, has his relatable qualities that help humanise him. He harbours a particular distaste for phoniness, and he isn’t entirely capable of controlling his negative emotions and anger — upsetting many people he values throughout the story. These traits are something that I’m sure many people, you and I included, struggle with throughout life (whether we will admit it or not). In this regard, Holden comes across as a snotty teen, but one we can pick out aspects of ourselves in.
Moreover, he harbours a sense of loneliness, one that plenty of teens are all too familiar with during the twilight years of their childhood. Holden isn’t on a quest to upset others, he just does through his immaturity and opinionated approach to life. The reality is that he does care about others and the world around him, reserving a tenderness for his ten-year-old sister. He also avoids his parents and desires to run away from his family. This is most likely in a mix of not wanting to face the repercussions of disappointing them, but also not being able to stomach that he is a let-down to those who raised him.
The story itself only spans a couple of days, and I don’t wish to dissect or disclose every scene of the novel for that reason. It is mostly devoid of action and drama, but there is a lingering sense of emptiness that permeates the entirety of the novel, likely stemming from how lost and unfulfilled Holden is as a person.
The truth is that I read this novel some years ago, when I was around the age of Holden, and mostly enjoyed it. In fact, I did relate a lot to the sense of disillusionment expressed by him as a character, so I am amazed that the need to review this novel slipped my mind for so long.
For anyone who hasn’t read it, I would recommend The Catcher in the Rye. Despite Salinger aiming it for a more adult audience, it is a solid novel for teenage readers, and tends to be quite popular with those around the age of Holden. If you happen to be finding yourself feeling particularly at odds with the pretension of the world or school, the story and attitude of Salinger’s narrator may appeal to your angst and emotions, and its conclusion may give you some hope.
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